Faisal Faisal

Faisal Ghazi Faisal (Arabic: فيصل غازي فيصل‎; born 18 October 1980) is an Iraqi athlete who hoped to represent Iraq in the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Early life and education

Faisal grew up in Baghdad[1] and lived in Wales as a child.[2]

He studied business management at the Central Queensland University in Sydney.[2][3]

Career

Summer sports

Faisal was an elite soccer player in Iraq, and a regional champion in the 200 meter sprint.[4] His uncle, Talib Faisal, set the 400 meter hurdles Iraq record.[4]

Winter sports

In 1998, he vowed to represent Iraq at the Winter Olympics.[4] He applied unsuccessfully for a visa to the United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland, coming instead to Australia.[5]

On weekends in Australia, where he was studying, he practiced skiing and then snowboarding. He tried speed skating, but was told he would not be able to represent Iraq because the country had no ice rinks. In September 2004, he considered ski jumping but a coach refused to help him.

In November 2004, he called the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, hoping to participate in skeleton, and he was invited to Lake Placid to train.[2]

Faisal missed out on qualifying for the 2006 Winter Olympics.

References
  1. Kekis, John (30 January 2005). "Iraqi athlete excels in first skeleton competition". Associated Press. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  2. PENNINGTON, BILL (27 January 2005). "An Iraqi's Quest to Compete in the Winter Olympics". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  3. "Iraqi student's Olympic dream recedes". 27 January 2006. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  4. Saslow, Eli (13 January 2005). "Iraqi Slides Toward Olympics". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  5. Moses, Asher (9 November 2006). "Sleuths erase online past". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 November 2019.


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